Convertible rifle rack



I May .16, 193 K. FISCHBACHER CONVERTIBLE RIFLE RACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec.

RI-in ATTORNEY.

y 1939- K. FISCHB-ACHER 2,158,623

CONVERTIBLE RIFLE RACK Filed Dec. 17, 195'; 2 Sheets-Sheet 2- aazuzw. qf-mwwvg 1N VENT OR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented May 16, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

My invention relates to rifle racks, and particularly to convertible and portable rifle racks and one of the objects is to provide a portable rifle rack which, after service, can be folded up and carried about in the form of an ordinary carrying case.

Another object is to provide a collapsible rifle supporting base arranged to form a carrying case when folded, and means to securely lock the base when in the open or service position.

Another object is to provide a telescoping center support and means for quickly and securely mounting the same onto the base, thereby rigidly locking the base in the open. or service position.

Still another object is to provide a detach-able rifle-rest and means to lock and unlock the rifles in their respective positions.

A further object is to provide a collapsible 20 protecting cover and means to quickly attach and detach the same to and from the structure.

A still further object is to provide a detachable handle serving as a locking means for the set-up structure and also serving as a. carrying handle for the collapsed and folded-up structure.

These and other objects I attain by the novel arrangement and combination of various parts and elements fully described in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 represents a sectional side elevation of the preferred embodiment of my invention.

Figure 2 is a top view of the protecting shell member of the structure.

Figure 3 represents a top view of the detached rifle-rest member and the locking means for the rifles, shown in the open and closed position.

Figure 4 represents a top view of the combined rifle supporting base and carrying case in the 40 open or service position, also showing a partly sectional view of the locking feature forming a part of the telescoping center support.

Figure 5 represents a sectional view showing the partly opened combined base and case, with the various members folded and stacked within the case.

Figure 6 is a partly sectional end view of the combined base and case in the closed position and the handle member being attached thereto.

Figure '7 represents an end View of the closed case, indicating in dotted lines, the position of the various members stored within the case.

Figure 8 represents the telescoping center sup porting and base locking member in its detached and collapsed position.

As shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, the rifle supporting. base comprises two half shells, identically alike, marked l and la, and each presenting a semicircular case hingedly connected by hinge members 2 and 2a permitting the shell 5 members to either be opened thereby forming the rifle base, or closed thus forming a carrying case, indicated in Figures 6 and '7. Within each of half shells l and la provision is made for a number of radially arranged, socketli-ke recepta- 10 cles 3 and 4, positioned and shaped to loosely engage with the butts 5, of rifles 6, one of which rifles is shown in Figure 1. Radial ribs I serve to add strength to the otherwisev light shell structure. Slightly raised platforms 8 and properly 15 spaced studs 9 and nuts 9a, serve to engage the forked bottom member H of a telescoping center support, by means of feet Hla provided with slots l-D b; terminating into circular depressions Hlc intended; to engage with the lower portion of go nuts So. It may be pointed out that nuts 9a need only to be partly unscrewed to permit the engaging or disengaging to or from foot members tlla. It, also will be noted, see Figures 1 and 4, that the forked bottom member "1-,, when 25 inserted,, engages the walls of shell members I and la. and when forced into engagement with platforms 8,, by means of nuts 9a, securedly locks shell members I and la in their open position thereby providing a' perfectly rigid rifle base 30 structure. Forked bottom member It) forms the base of a telescoping center support comprising the rigidly connected square tube llld, telescoping; tubes Hie and [0]. The top member lllg may be ot a solid. square rod, telescoping into tube 5 I0). This top member lily terminates into a cylindrical internally threaded portion lflh intended to receive the threaded stud portion Ha of a handle: lit. Conventional locking-pins I01 serve to lock the individual telescoping tubes in 40 position. when extended. Figure 8 shows the center support in its collapsed position. Protecting shell I2 centrally fitted over part lllh of rod lily, resting upon the shoulder forming the base of cylindrical part Illh, is being clamped 5 into position by handle member H, see Figure 1.

Supported on top of tube 10 is a rifle barrel-rest member comprising a star shaped body part I 4, the outer circumference of which is provided with as many barrel engaging notches or 5 depressions Ma as there are rifle butt receptacles in the rifle supporting base. A centrally positioned, square perforation Mb arranged to slidingly fit over square rod lily, assures the proper positioning of the rifle rest member relative to 55 the rifle butt receptacles. A pair of semi-circular barrel locking members I and Md, hingedly mounted at I46 upon body I4 are provided with perforated members I I to match a similar perforation I4g of body member I4. These locking members can be, individually or in unison, opened or closed and held in position by means of a padlock or any other suitable locking means.

With the rifle base, center support, barrel rest, protecting shell and handle member in position, as indicated in Figure 1, the rifle rack structure is ready for service.

Now to protect the rifles against rain, dust, snow etc. a properly shaped canvas covering I5 is provided and held in position, at its upper end, by a number of eyelets engaging hooks I2a mounted within the protecting shell member I2. The lower end of covering I5 encircles and overlaps the walls of the rifle base members I and la, and is held in position by a number of eyeleted elastic bands I5b securely mounted upon the inside of covering I5. Hooks I5, secured to the inside of the walls of the base, serve to engage the eyelets of bands I51) and thus effectively hold the covering I5 in position. To make the deposited rifles easily accessible, covering I5 may be opened, along its full height, by buttons, snap fasteners or any suitable closure means I1, which in turn can be locked by means of stud and nut I2b, mounted upon shell member I2.

The complete rifle rack structure can be easily collapsed, folded up, the various members stored within the shell members I and Ia, and carried about in the shape of a carrying case. This is accomplished by removing handle member II, unhooking and properly folding the canvas cover, removing protecting shell I2 and rifle rest member I 4, and collapsing the telescoping center support and disengaging bottom member In from base shell members I and la. With the proper assembling, see Figure 5, of the various members Within one of the half shells, the other half shell can be easily closed whereby the perforated lug member ID, will overlap the threaded lug member Ic, permitting threaded stud Ila, of handle II, to enter and engage the correspondingly threaded lug member Ic, thereby not only securely locking the two shell members, now forming a complete case, but also providing a convenient carrying handle.

Having thus fully described my invention I do not wish to confine myself to the exact details of construction as disclosed, as there may be many variations possible, within the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a convertible and portable rifle rack, a collapsible base member comprising a pair of hingedly connected half shell members, a plurality of radially positioned and circularly disposed rifle butt engaging receptacles forming a part of said half shell members, and locking means for said half shell base members to lock same in the opened and in the closed position.

2. In a convertible and portable rifle rack, a collapsible supporting base member comprising a pair of hingedly joined half shell members, a plurality of radially disposed rifle butt receptacles positioned within said half shell members, and a locking means for locking said half shell members in the opened position comprising a detachable forked engaging member adapted to engage the sides of the upwardly extending wall portions of said half shell members and clamping means to rigidly fasten said forked engaging member to the bottom portion of said half shell members, and a locking means to lock said half shell members in the collapsed and closed position.

3. Substantially as claim 2, in which the locking means for said half shell members for the closed position comprises a pair of overlapping lugs forming an integral part of said half shell members, the overlapped lug threaded and the overlapping lug perforated to permit the insertion of a correspondingly threaded stud of a handle member.

4. In a convertible and portable rifle rack of the character described, the combination of a pair of hingedly connected base members, a centrally disposed supporting member which comprises a plurality of telescoping tubes provided with a forked locking and attaching member to lock and unlock said supporting member to and from said base members.

5. Substantially as claim 4, in which the telescoping tubes of the central supporting member are angularly shaped and the lowermost tube is joined to the forked locking member which cornprises an angularly shaped and forked body member, said body member terminating into a pair of perpendicularly extending foot members, and said foot members provided with slots terminating into centrally disposed depressions to engage and lock with correspondingly disposed studs and nuts within said hinged base members.

6. A convertible and portable rifle rack ccmprising a pair of hinged and collapsibly disposed base members, a telescoping top-shell and rifle-supporting member the lower portion of which is arranged to engage and lock said pair of base members in their extended position, a detachable rifle-rest member engaging and supported by said telescoping supporting member, a rifle locking means forming part of said rifle-rest member, and a detachable pliable cover and means to attach and detach said cover to and from said rifle rack when in its service position, substantially as set forth.

KATHLEEN FISCHBACHER. 

